Materials & Hallmarking

At Roberts & Co, materials and standards matter. We work with precious metals chosen for their quality, suitability and integrity, and we take care to describe them clearly and handle them responsibly. That approach extends from sourcing through to finishing, presentation and hallmarking.

We believe trust is built through accuracy. In jewellery, that means being clear about what a piece is made from, how precious metals are identified, and when an article is fully hallmarked under UK law. It also means avoiding broad claims that sound reassuring but are not technically correct.

Our Approach to Materials

Roberts & Co works with precious metals selected for quality, consistency and suitability for jewellery. We place value on material integrity, careful finishing and the overall relationship between design, weight, wearability and long-term use.

Our aim is not simply to use precious metals, but to use them properly. That means choosing materials with care, presenting them honestly and ensuring that each piece meets the standards we expect of the house.

Responsible Precious Metal Sourcing

For our own in-house production, we source precious metals through established and trusted channels within the European precious-metals trade. We are guided by the principles of quality, reliability, traceability and recognised industry standards.

We do not treat sourcing as a decorative claim. It is part of the wider discipline of making and supplying jewellery responsibly. Where precious metals are concerned, that means working with reputable sources whose history, refining expertise and responsible-sourcing frameworks support confidence in the material from the outset.

Precious Metal Standards

Precious metals are rarely used in their pure form for jewellery. Instead, they are alloyed to achieve the strength, durability and wearability required in practice. For that reason, fineness matters. Fineness indicates the proportion of precious metal present in the alloy and forms an important part of how precious-metal jewellery is identified and understood.

Where appropriate, precious metal articles may carry fineness marks indicating their standard. These marks should be read carefully and should not automatically be assumed to mean that a piece has received a full UK hallmark.

Hallmarking and the UK Hallmarking Act

Roberts & Co complies with the UK Hallmarking Act. Where required by law, qualifying precious-metal items are submitted for independent testing and are fully hallmarked.

A UK hallmark is a legal mark applied by an assay office after testing. It is not the same thing as a fineness mark used on its own. In the UK, the compulsory components of a hallmark are the sponsor’s mark, the millesimal fineness mark and the assay office mark. A date letter may also be applied, but it is not a compulsory part of the hallmark.

When an Item Is Fully Hallmarked

Where an item falls above the relevant legal exemption weight and is described as being made of a precious metal, hallmarking is required. In those cases, Roberts & Co uses The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London.

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office has been testing and hallmarking precious metals for over 700 years, and its London mark remains one of the most widely recognised symbols of precious-metal assurance in the UK.

Exemption Weights and Fineness Marks

It is a common misunderstanding that every precious-metal article sold in the UK must be hallmarked. That is not correct. UK law provides exemption weights below which hallmarking is not always required.

The commonly cited exemption weights are 7.78g for silver, 1g for gold, 1g for palladium and 0.5g for platinum. Where an article falls below the relevant exemption weight, it may lawfully be sold without a full hallmark, provided it otherwise complies with the law.

Where appropriate, exempt items may carry fineness marks or other suitable marks. These can be useful indicators of metal standard, but they should not be confused with official hallmarks applied by an assay office after testing.

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London

For items requiring hallmarking, Roberts & Co is registered with and uses The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office in London. This reflects our preference for clarity, recognised standards and proper independent assay where the law requires it.

Hallmarking matters because precious-metal content cannot reliably be determined by appearance alone. Independent assay and hallmarking provide assurance as to standard and help support trust in the jewellery trade.

Why Hallmarking Matters

Hallmarking is one of the ways in which the UK jewellery trade protects clarity and consumer confidence. It distinguishes independently tested precious-metal articles from pieces that are merely described in general terms, and it gives a legal framework for how those standards are represented in trade.

For Roberts & Co, hallmarking is part of a broader commitment to material honesty. We believe jewellery should be described properly, marked appropriately and supplied in a way that respects both the object and the customer.